


The Night Changes

by lesbeeian



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I might continue this or I might just leave it as a one shot, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 02:23:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8126806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbeeian/pseuds/lesbeeian
Summary: Sera knows so many things change at night, but just how much can they?





	

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to Rory who constantly encourages me and is always willing to listen to my midnight headcannons that makes the both of us sad. This title is for you pal.

There was something to be said about a good prank. 

A sort of calm had settled over Skyhold in the aftermath of Sera's mayhem. Books had gone flying, people had fallen, bees in the cupboard. Total mayhem. 

Sera was very comfortable with mayhem. She liked to be busy, liked to be doing something. She especially liked if that something was related to making Skyhold seem less like a cold abandoned castle. 

However, looking now from the top of the roof, wind slightly blowing at the edges of her bangs, she could feel the thrill of the prank wearing off. The mayhem was gone, replaced by the simple quiet pattern that the castle always fell into in the late afternoon.

She was left to her thoughts. That was never good.

She remembered the roof back in Denerim. That was a city that never fully turned off, but she liked watching it dim. For some reason it comforted her that there was always somebody doing something, that there was always some kind of movement going on, even in seemingly unlikely places. She learned things about people, just by watching from that roof. The baker always went to sleep at sunset, but his wife stayed up reading to the kids for another hour. The bar down the street was open all night, but nobody stayed out very late on the last day of the week, so they closed early. The alienage was never very bright, but sometimes at midnight, she would spot elves about her age climbing the walls, gripping small lanterns tightly. They would laugh and yell and shush each other and in those moments she felt both elation and a strange tightness in her chest that she could never really place. 

Watching Denerim had been her bedtime story, her caretaker, her entertainment, her everything. She would fall asleep on that roof breathing in the night air. The maid would find her in the morning, limbs curled in and shivering. 

Everything always seemed more interesting from a rooftop.

Then she would venture out into that marketplace during the day and nothing seemed very interesting anymore. The baker's wife was rude to her and she responded by swiping as much bread as she could get her hands on. The bar was full of men who gawked at her and made comments. In the day, the kids with lanterns didn't smile or laugh and tried to stay as invisible as possible. 

Sera gave up trying to be invisible a long time ago. Peace and calm were overrated. She wanted to change things, to make people look at stuff they thought they wouldn't ever have think about. 

Somehow she always ended up back on a roof. Was it ridiculous to think she could chart her own growth from different rooftops. Most of her crying, most of her thinking, most of her hiding, all done on different rooftops. Hell, even the first girl she had ever loved, she had first seen from a rooftop. 

So many girls in fact.

She could hear from downstairs the bard starting in on another rendition of "Sera was Never". A cheer rose from the people drinking. Sera sighed. 

It was time for a drink.

Skyhold never looked like Denerim at night. It was colder, more stark. It blacked out and then all at once would come alive again. The only person who ever stayed awake as late as her was Vivienne. She could always see her awake at night reading though papers and papers. She always looked tired. A little more vulnerable. Another lesson Sera knew, most people seem softer in the middle of the night.

Did that rule apply to herself? She didn't see how anything about her could be soft. Even her tongue was sharp according to most people. All angles, everything stuck out and caught somewhere. The thought amused her.

She got out the little notepad that she always kept tucked in her back pocket and doodled a little drawing of herself, all angles. Not her best work, considering the amount of alcohol in her system but it made her feel better for a moment. 

The moment passed and Sera could feel her stomach knot up.

Softness was not for her, it didn't fit. She saw a small light pass by the roof with the smell of candle wax in the air. Sometimes Josie would wake up early and try to get some work done outside right before the sun came up. She liked sunsets. Sera and her had that in common. She remembered the look on Josie's face when she realized the chaos Sera caused. The amount of cleaning, of placating nobles she would have to do. The mess that she would have to clean up. Because of Sera. Yet she was always nice to Sera, always had a kind word to say. Even helped her with Red Jenny stuff half the time. 

Sera knew she was selfish. Sometimes she was ok with that. At least being selfish meant she was harder to hurt. Selfish people were always harder to puncture. They weren't soft. But in moments like this, when she could perfectly remember the expression, the lines of exhaustion on Josephine's face, Sera truly hated that selfishness.

The stars were starting to fade into the dawn of the day. Another night on the roof. Skyhold was coming to life again. 

"Oi, Josie" she called. Josephine looked up. As much as Varric called her Ruffles, she was not so easily ruffled.

"Oh hello Sera, I didn't see you up there" A moment of silence passed. Sera dropped down from the roof. 

"I-I--Didya manage to get the bees out of that Lady's hair all right?" the question burst out rather suddenly. Sera could tell that this question did surprise her somewhat.

"Yes, Everything turned out ok in the end. Although I don't think Lady Deveraux will be coming back anytime soon." Josie sighed. "Oh well, we lost that alliance, but in doing so we managed to secure one with her long estranged sister Eva, who has hated her for years and was glad to see her knocked down a peg or two." She chuckled, "truth be told so was I. She was always the type to throw things at her servants. My friend Nina got a mirror thrown at her and had to stay with a healer for several days. "

Sera's eyes went big. "So my prank actually helped you out?" 

"I suppose so, although I would prefer it if you would check with me before putting practically an entire beehive in a bouquet of flowers. Luckily the Orlesian fashion this time of year includes hats with netting."

Sera chuckled, "Nobles are weird. " 

There was a pause.

"Well, glad it all worked out and I promise at the very least my next prank won't involve bees." She paused. "Probably." They both laughed. "I really am sorry though, if my Red Jenny shite or pranks ever cause you trouble. Sometimes….sometimes I forget that the noble isn't the only one who suffers when I do something big. I mean usually I try to account for that stuff but I don't know, I think I've been off lately."

Josie smiled. "I'm not gonna say you have never caused me trouble, cause I think we both know that's a lie. But Sera you have great instincts and however...chaotic your methods may be, I believe in the end you are trying to make this world better. You just wanna leave your mark. I can understand that. So do I.........But again next time, some warning might be in order."

They looked at each other for a second. Sera reddened slightly. Josephine was very pretty, especially now as the sun was just coming over the castle wall and staining everything a reddish gold color. Everything looked soft. She felt naked in the light, a sort of hollowness in the pit of her stomach but not in an unpleasant way. Less empty more like cleansed. It gave her the nerve to speak again.

"Y'know back in Denerim I always did like watching the sunset with a pretty girl." Now it was Josie's turn to redden. Sera grinned long and slow. 

They watched the rest of the sunset in silence. Once it ended, Josie wandered off to complete more of her tasks and Sera climbed back up to the rooftop. Skyhold was bustling once again. Calm and chaotic all at once. She looked up at the clouds as they passed by. She wondered once again, how would she look right now if someone were to look at her? Because for once in her life she didn't feel like something sharp, something to be caught on, something inflicted on someone else. She just felt right.

There was something to be said about a good prank.


End file.
